This application claims the priority of German Application No. 101 47 213.7, filed Sep. 25, 2001, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a lock for releasably connecting a hardtop with a body of a vehicle by way of a plug-type pin. In particular, the lock has a pin which is rotatably held in a stationary receiving sleeve fastened to the hardtop. A spring element is provided between the sleeve and a contact disk. The plug-type pin has a link pin on the end side, which can be locked while introduced in a helical guideway of a stationary link element of the vehicle body.
From German Patent document DE 197 36 508 C2, a lock is known for releasably connecting a hardtop with a body of a vehicle. This lock comprises a plug-type pin connected with a handle, which plug-type pin has a retention pin guided in a link element as well as a contact pin which is held at the head-side of a hollow screw in a transverse groove.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved lock for a hardtop which ensures a secure releasable connection of the hardtop with a body of a vehicle. Furthermore, the inventive lock is held in the operating position, during driving in a noiseless manner.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by a lock for detachably connecting a hardtop with a body of a vehicle by way of a plug-type pin which is rotatably held in a stationary receiving sleeve fastened to the hardtop. A spring element is provided between the sleeve and a contact disk. The plug-type pin has a link pin on the end side, which can be locked while introduced in a helical guideway of a stationary link element of the vehicle body. On a head side, the plug-type pin has a transversely situated holding pin, which can be adjusted on face-side guideways in the receiving sleeve into an opening and closing position (I and II) against the tension of an elastomer spring. The spring is arranged between the contact disk and the receiving sleeve. Additional advantageous characteristics are described herein.
The principal advantages according to the invention are that, as a result of the guiding of the plug-type pin on a defined guideway during the opening and closing of the hardtop, a secured open position is taken up and, from this position, the plug-type pin can be changed into a closed position. The latter is somewhat free-floating, so that a link pin is held securely and without noise in a body-fixed link element in the closed position.
In particular, these advantages are achieved in that the plug-type pin has a transversely situated holding pin on a head-side, which holding pin can be adjusted on face-side guideways in the receiving sleeve into an opening and closing position against the tension of an elastomer spring arranged between the contact disk and the receiving sleeve. As a result, it is advantageously achieved according to the invention that, on the one hand, by using the elastomer spring in contrast to a metal spring according to the prior art, rattling noises in coordination with the adjusting movements of the plug-type pin are avoided. This is also aided by the fact that, according to the invention, the plug-type pin has a pin section with a first step on which an integrated elastic sleeve is arranged. The elastic sleeve is supported at the pin end part in a second step and extends approximately from the contact disk to the transverse pin. As a result, possible tolerances and, therefore, the generation of noises, are avoided between the plug-type pin and the link element during the closing operation. Furthermore, the elastic sleeve has a thicker diameter on its end pointing toward the disk, in contrast to the additional outside diameter of the sleeve. This thicker diameter is required in order to fill the beveling or the input-side widening of the bore in the link element in the closing operation.
The face-side guideways for the holding pin in the outer sleeve consist of semicircular detent receiving devices (for an open position of the lock) situated opposite one another in the head of the receiving sleeve for the holding pin. The detent receiving devices are adjoined by ramps which change into trough-shaped recesses in which the holding pin takes up a closing or retention position. As a result of this construction of the face-side guideways, corresponding to the diameter of the holding pin, as semicircular detent receiving devices as well as of the adjoining ramps with a defined length and of the recesses which follow, on the one hand, a precise opening position is achieved. And, on the other hand, a closing position is ensured which provides a locking into the end-side receiving device of the guideway having a defined length in the link element.
In particular, it is provided according to the invention that the semicircular detent receiving devices are bounded by upright webs, and these detent receiving devices have approximately the same depth as the trough-shaped recesses, the ramps having approximately half the depth of the detent receiving devices and of the recesses. On the end side, the upright webs bound, on the one hand, the semicircular detent receiving devices and, on the other hand, the trough-shaped recesses.
The ramps have adjoining flat sections which originate from the semicircular detent receiving devices and which correspond approximately to half the depth of the detent receiving devices which have diagonally extending surfaces dropping off to the trough-shaped recesses. As a result of the construction of the ramps, an easier rotation of the plug-type pin is permitted from the closed position to the open position and thus an easier operation of the lock.
The swivelling of the plug-type pin takes place along the helical guideway in the stationary link element, the plug-type pin being guided by way of the noise-reducing and tolerance-compensating elastic sleeve in the bore of the link element.
An operation of the plug-type pin of the lock for the purpose of a rotation takes place, for example, by using a handling tool, such as an outside hexagon wrench which engages into a hexagonal recess of the plug-type pin.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.